Child soldiers: a scandal of the modern world

For most of us, sending a child to battle seems unthinkable. But for 300,000 boys and girls, the unthinkable is a reality. Every day, these child soldiers as young as eight are forced into slaughter and brutality by militiasA militia is an informal armed group operating independently of the state. and state armies. How do kids end up firing guns? Most young recruits grew up in war zones: denied an education, separated from family and facing poverty, they know little else but violence. Some soldiers are abducted, threatened or sold. Others follow friends or join out of curiosity. Once recruited, life is tough. Militias live on the move, in basic camps and under constant threat of deadly violence. On the frontline things are worse. Fighters might be sent into minefields, or used as suicide bombers. They are taught to kill, rape and maim; some are forced to commit atrocities against their own families to fully isolate them from society. Many are given powerful drugs; girls are raped, or given to commanders as wives. But action is being taken to end this horror. Tomorrow marks eleven years since a crucial treaty (OPACOptional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict lays out strict rules preventing recruitment of soldiers under 18 years old, and requires governments to take action against militias that use child soldiers, too.) against the use of child soldiers came into force: on Red Hand Day, thousands will make a red hand print to implore leaders to embrace its rules. The campaign has much to do. Child soldiers are used in at least 40% of conflicts, and wherever there is instability, the suffering spreads. Already, the groups behind recent unrest in Mali are thought to have recruited some 1,000 child fighters. But enforcing a treaty is just part of dealing with this complex and challenging problem. Children are exploited as troops because they are easily manipulated and brainwashed into a culture of cruelty. Leaving the military for normal life can be even harder for many young soldiers than combat itself. Haunted by the atrocities they have taken part in, isolated from their old homes, and often missing the sense of belonging experienced in their military families, former child soldiers find it is with rehabilitation the hard work starts. Child soldiers can and do recover from their experiences to lead meaningful and safe lives. But for many who help them the real tragedy is that these young people, through no fault of their own, are conditioned to do terrible things, under a code of brutal amorality. The crime is not just inflicting suffering on innocent victims, but the theft of their childhoods. But what of the powerful warlords' own childhoods? It is possible, even likely, that commanders were forced and manipulated as children themselves into a life of war. As adults, should they be held fully responsible for their brutal exploitation of other children? Or should we feel sympathy for humans moulded by inhumanity? Q & A How can I take part in Red Hand Day?: For more information, visit the Red Hand Day website. The campaign asks young people from all over the world to create their own red hand print, and to send it to world leaders as an appeal to stop the use of child soldiers around the world. So what will those leaders actually do? There is plenty of action to be taken: more countries can adopt OPAC, and those that do could be more stringent about enforcing its recommendations. Rich governments take other steps, too, such as not sending military aid to governments that use child soldiers. But perhaps the most important immediate action is supporting young people who have been recruited as child soldiers. Rehabilitation is a big job, and a challenging one.KeywordsMilitias - A militia is an informal armed group operating independently of the state.